Level number

Number of acts

Enemies

Boss fight

Desert Ruins doesn’t just offer huge desert plains to discover and huge sandstorms to escape from… Sonic the Hedgehog must also explore the sweet-filled ‘Dessert’ Ruins and a giant bee hive! — Sonic Lost World Website[1]

Desert Ruins (デザートルーインズ,Dezāto Rūinzu?) is the second world of Sonic Lost World. It is a generic desert-themed zone, which looks similar to Sandopolis Zone from Sonic & Knuckles, but with numerous sand tornadoes and some platforming puzzles inside pyramids. Aside of Badniks, other recurring enemies in the Zone are large rotating cacti balls and hungry blue sandworms, which are able to eat the player instantly. Like other stages, there are a variety of other themed zones; as for Wii U version, there is a candy-themed zone and honey hive-themed zone.

In the Nintendo 3DS version of Sonic Lost World, the player can find Yellow Material in the zones if the player finishes the stage successfully.

Contents

Description

Wii U

Zone 1

For the Wii U version, the first half of Zone 1 of Desert Ruins is takes place at a desert, only it appears to be much open-spaced and less ruin-like within the game. In this zone, the Crimson Wisp appears, which gives Sonic the Crimson Eagle power, allowing him to fly over quicksand and avoid the giant Sandworms. The second half takes place inside a temple. Sonic has to avoid getting eaten by Sandworms.

Zone 2

For the Wii U version, Zone 2 of Desert Ruins features a 3D behind-the-back perspective as Sonic is running at a rate similar to Terminal Velocity from Sonic Colors. Throughout the level, Sonic runs through honeycombs, skydives while trying to avoid BalkiryBadniks, performs long Homing Attack chains, and dodges Buzzers. The final part has Sonic soaring through the air towards Zomom on front of a green and purple block-like face. Zomom will jump on the green face and rotate it ,and Sonic must make sure he doesn't fall off the rotating face. Zomom will become dizzy after this, and Sonic has the chance to defeat him. Zomom will also slam down on the face and send Sonic up in the air, where he must dodge spiked balls. The hexagonal structure of the honeycomb tunnels resembles the layout of the Special Stages from the Sega 32X video game Knuckles' Chaotix.

Zone 3

For the Wii U version, Zone 3 of Desert Ruins has a candy theme to the level, similar to Sweet Mountain from Sonic Colors. Sonic can run on multiple platforms of a variety of foods, such as licorice, and pieces from both cake and cookies. Several foods can be seen in the background, such as cupcakes, pancakes, and ice cream. Sonic can also use a Homing Attack to jump higher via Truffle Cannons.

Zone 4

For the Wii U version, Zone 4 of Desert Ruins is a 2D platforming Zone where the camera will automatically scroll to the right. In this zone, Sonic must stay ahead of a giant tornado or he will lose a life should he get caught in it. In the second half, Sonic will be able to use the Yellow Drill Color Power and then continue running away from the tornado until he encounters and fights Zomom for the second time in this game.

Nintendo 3DS

Zone 1

Much similar to Zone 1 on the Wii U version, Zone 1 on the Nintendo 3DS version has Sonic going through a giant, desert area where bottomless pits and moving sand cause some difficulty for the player, who controls Sonic. Giant cacti and giant Sandworms enemies, as well as Eggman's Badniks, appear in this stage to test the player's skills. The player has to look out even more gigantic worms, which move on the underground, trying to catch Sonic. The Indigo Asteroid is featured in this Zone.[2]

Zone 2

For the Nintendo 3DS version, Zone 2 of Desert Ruins has an entire side-scrolling theme featuring Sonic moving through, as the zone name suggests, a ruins in a desert. There are gimmicks in the stage that determine whether Sonic should go through the right path or an alternate pathway. The Yellow Wisp and its Color Power, the Yellow Drill, is available to use in this stage, as it can burrow underground. Movement-spheres sense the movements of Sonic and can be used to activate switches Sonic cannot reach to move on throughout the stage.

Zone 3

Zone 3 of Desert Ruins starts with a maze of moving sand. Sonic must hit switches to open pathways. Then he must run into Zomom's boss vehicle, who shoots lasers at Sonic. After getting past the vehicle, Sonic must defeat some sandworms. After hitting a spring, Zomom's vehicle returns, this time blowing wind to hinder Sonic's progress on defeating Badniks. Once Sonic gets past Zomom's vehicle once again, Sonic heads to the capsule. The Gray Wisp and its Color Power, the Gray Quake, is available to use after unlocking it, and Sonic can break gray blocks using it.

Boss

The boss, Zomom, rides on a similar vehicle to the giant green face that the player faces Zomom at in Zone Two of the Wii U version. Zomom will ride it around, and Sonic must attack its back, where there's a blue orb sticking out. Every so often, the vehicle will fall on its back, making it impossible to hit, and shoot missiles out. The vehicle will recharge, and Sonic have the chance to use a powered-up Homing Attack at the back. The vehicle will break down after receiving hits, eventually breaking completely. Zomom will fall off, dizzy, and Sonic can take out Zomom with a good powered-up Homing Attack.

Extra Zone

The Extra Zone is very similar to Zone 1, but has a large emphasis on the Gray Quake.

Other game appearanes

Sonic Runners

Trivia

Zone 1

Most dunes of a different/darker color will hinder Sonic—or stop him completely—from running at top speed. However, there are marked passages that carry him exceedingly quickly through the sand to the next area of solid ground. They bear some resemblance to the interior section of the Sky Deck from Sonic Adventure.

Zone 2

The background music of Zone 2 on Desert Ruins in the Wii U version is similar to Skyscraper Scamper's Daytime music from Sonic Unleashed. In the 3DS version, the music is instead used for Silent Forest Zone 2.

Also, the background music for Zone 2/3 on the Nintendo 3DS version and Zone 4 on the Wii U version is similar to the music played on Arid Sands Daytime music from Sonic Unleashed.

Desert Ruins Zone 2 in the Wii U version is entirely a "mach speed" section, meaning that Sonic constantly runs forward (with a unique animation), cannot transform into Super Sonic, and will instantly die if he crashes into a wall.

Zone 3

Zone 3 (the candy-themed Act) adds the letter "s" of the word "Desert" on the zone loading screen to spell "Dessert". This is a pun to the zone's bizarre appearance of sweets.[3]

Desert Ruins Zone 3 may have a reference to Layer-Cake Desert from New Super Mario Bros. U, since it's also a desert with dessert-themed interactive objects.

In the Nintendo 3DS version, Zone 3 is the first level which allows the player to adjust the camera using the L button.

Zone 4

In Zone 2, Sonic faces Zomom on a large, totem-like platform made up of hundreds of small blocks. This may be Zomom's home or main method of transport, as it appears again in the background during his rematch on Zone 4, halfway sunk in the sand. In the 3DS version, Zomom uses a smaller version of this machine to carry himself around and attack Sonic throughout Zone 3 and the boss battle.

When reaching the second Spring in the second Tornado section, should the player jump below the Spring, then Double Jump onto the nearby wall, and then stay on this wall, the camera will stay to Sonic's height, allowing the player to see the inside of the Tornado as it passes by. Should the player stay on the wall until the Tornado reaches the end of the section, Sonic will be warped to a random location in the Zone, some of which gives the illusion of an epileptic seizure.

Miscellaneous

Desert Ruins (Wii U version) is the only zone in Sonic Lost World to feature unique musical themes for all four of its zones, as all of the other zone themes are either shared by another stage or boss, or is reused in that zone.